Project description:Pyrazinamide (PZA) is one of the first line antibiotics used for the treatment of tuberculosis (TB). we have used human monocyte and a mouse model of pulmonary TB to investigate whether treatment with PZA, in addition to its known anti-mycobacterial properties, modulate the host immune response during Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection.
Project description:Pyrazinamide (PZA) is one of the first line antibiotics used for the treatment of tuberculosis (TB). we have used human monocyte and a mouse model of pulmonary TB to investigate whether treatment with PZA, in addition to its known anti-mycobacterial properties, modulate the host immune response during Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection. Mice were infected with Mtb and treatment with PZA was started at 28 days post-infection. At 42 days and 63 days post-infection, group of animals were euthanized and lung tissue was collected to isolate total RNA and used in microarray experiments. Mtb-infected, untreated animals served as controls.
Project description:Infectious diseases, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb)-caused tuberculosis (TB), remain a global health threat exacerbated by increasing drug resistance. Host-directed therapy (HDT) is a complementing strategy for infection treatment through targeting host immune mechanisms. However, the limited understanding of the host factors and their regulatory mechanisms involved in host immune defense against infections has impeded HDT development. Here, we identify the E3 ubiquitin ligase tripartite motif-containing 27 (TRIM27) elicits host protective immunity against Mtb. Mechanistically, TRIM27 enters host cell nucleus upon Mtb infection to function as a transcription activator of transcription factor EB (TFEB). TRIM27 binds to TFEB promoter and the TFEB transcription factor cAMP responsive element binding protein 1 (CREB1), thus enhancing CREB1-TFEB promoter binding affinity and promoting CREB1 transcription activity towards TFEB, eventually leading to autophagy activation and pathogen clearance. Thus, TRIM27 contributes to host anti-Mtb immunity and targeting TRIM27/CREB1/TFEB axis serves as a promising HDT-based TB treatment.
Project description:Host-pathogen interactions in Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection still remain poorly understood. We investigated the host immune response to different reference Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains in THP-1 cells. Major differences in the gene expression profiles were identified in response to infection with these strains. These findings shed new insights into the dynamic variation in tuberculosis immune response and pathogenesis. We used Affymetrix GeneChip Human Exon 1.0 ST microarrays to investigate host differential gene expression in response to different Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains.
Project description:Inflammation is critical for controlling infections but can cause disease when unchecked. For tuberculosis, the leading cause of death by infection, neutrophil-dominated inflammation is associated with disease progression, emphasizing the need to understand how neutrophil functions are regulated during Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Atg5 was the first gene shown to specifically function within neutrophils to promote control of M. tuberculosis. ATG5 is best studied for its role in autophagy, however, the protective activity of ATG5 in neutrophils was unexpectedly independent of other autophagy proteins and remained elusive. We report that ATG5 is required in neutrophils to suppress type I interferon-induced neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) release and swarming during M. tuberculosis infection. Elevated NET release contributes to the early susceptibility of Atg5fl/fl-LysM-Cre mice during infection. These findings identify ATG5 as a master regulator of how type I interferon influences neutrophil responses during infection, revealing a new potential target for host-directed therapies.
Project description:Paraffin-embedded lung and spleen tissues analyzed by Eksigent nanoLC-Ultra 2D System and QExactive mass spectrometer. Both lung and spleen tissues were extracted from animals at 4 different conditions (Not infected Ad libitum, Not infected Caloric restricted, Mycobacterium Tuberculosis (MTB) infected Ad libitum, Mycobacterium Tuberculosis (MTB) infected Caloric restricted). Globally, 24 and 23 runs are uploaded for lung and spleen tissues, respectively.
Project description:Analysis of Metfromin induced changes in the lung cells of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infected mouse at gene expression level. The hypothesis tested in the present study was whether metformin has any effect on the host immune response in Mycobacterium tuberculosis infected mice? Results provide important information on the effect of metformin on the inflammatory response and immune activation associated with mycobacterial infection. In conclusion, Metfromin normalizes the chronic inflammation associated with Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.
Project description:The global burden of tuberculosis (TB) is aggravated by the continuously increasing emergence of drug resistance, highlighting the need for innovative therapeutic options. The concept of host-directed therapy (HDT) as adjunctive to classical antibacterial therapy with antibiotics represents a novel and promising approach for treating TB. Here, we have focused on repurposing the clinically used anticancer drug tamoxifen, which was identified as a molecule with strong host-directed activity against intracellular Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Using a primary human macrophage Mtb infection model, we demonstrate the potential of tamoxifen against drug-sensitive as well as drug-resistant Mtb bacteria. The therapeutic effect of tamoxifen was confirmed in an in vivo TB model based on Mycobacterium marinum infection of zebrafish larvae. Tamoxifen had no direct antimicrobial effects at the concentrations used, confirming that tamoxifen acted as an HDT drug. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the antimycobacterial effect of tamoxifen is independent of its well-known target the estrogen receptor (ER) pathway, but instead acts by modulating autophagy, in particular the lysosomal pathway. Through RNA sequencing and microscopic colocalization studies, we show that tamoxifen stimulates lysosomal activation and increases the localization of mycobacteria in lysosomes both in vitro and in vivo, while inhibition of lysosomal activity during tamoxifen treatment partly restores mycobacterial survival. Thus, our work highlights the HDT potential of tamoxifen and proposes it as a repurposed molecule for the treatment of TB.